Across
the street from Catherine Ferguson Academy,
a high school for teen mothers on the citys
southwest side, Grotfeldt and Ward have
worked with Detroiters from a wide variety
of backgrounds to transform part of a city
block. Through the physical reclamation
of the unused buildings and vacant lots,
the artists and their collaborators both
alter the urban landscape and enhance the
lives of the people living nearby. Achieved
with partner organizations Detroit Summer
and the University of Detroit Mercy School
of Architecture, their creative project
includes two rehabilitated houses that are
residences for the students and their children,
a community center, and an art park.

In their installation
at the DIA, Grotfeldt and Ward document
their experiences, the people who worked
to realize the project, and visions for
a rejuvenated community. Two videos and
a slide show introduce the community and
their endeavor, conveying affinities that
developed among the volunteers. Architectural
renderings, material samples, models,
and prototypes demonstrate the work done
by architecture students, whose designs
complement the neighborhood buildings.
Gallery seating made of hay bales and
concrete replicates the conversation area
in the art park. Another focus of the
park is a maze that surrounds a griot
tree, where Mary Washington, who lives
on the block, tells stories in the West
African tradition. Washington will also
perform at the museum in conjunction with
this exhibition.